SAD DAY FOR THE BEEKEEPER IN ME

Today is awful. I came to the realization that splitting the hive is impossible. Thanks to the sloppy job done by the landscaper and his inability to fix the mess until two weeks from now we are left with soggy soil which means when I walk out to my hive I sink calf length in mud. With no stable ground to stand on

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WILL THE LANDSCAPER FIX THIS? OR DARE I WONDER, IS OUR BEEKEEPING VENTURE DONE?

Hard to imagine that within hours of "fixing" our backyard water issues the yard is once again flooded. After going to bed with this:

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LANDSCAPING, ISN'T IT FUN!

Our water issues are solved... at least I hope so. This is the first time we've ever used a landscaper and I'm glad we did. Since we moved into our home the backyard has been one big pain after another. First we had to remove numerous dead trees and way too many buckthorn to count, second was the rock. Rock, rock,

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BEE PACKAGE INSTALLATION

Today we received a new package of bees. At around 4 pm we did the install into the new hive. The process goes like this:

First, you spray the sides of the bee package with 1:1 sugar syrup. This helps calm the bees down so they don't go flying all over the place when you dump them into the hive. Then you give the cage a little bonk to knock all of the bees off of the feeder can so it can be removed.

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POLLEN COMING IN

I am happy to see pollen coming in. I don't know where the girls are finding it, I'll assume dandilions since those are growing all over my yard.

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PARTIAL HIVE REVERSAL

A few days ago we actually had some sunshine, therefore, were able to get outside and do the partial reversal on the hive. For anyone that doesn't know what a hive reversal is, here is an image put together by Marla Spivak and Gary Reuter at the University of Minnesota to explain it:

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NO DARLING, THOSE AREN'T RAIN DROPS!

I anxiously waited for my bees to emerge today. I knew they were alive a few days ago but hadn't checked since. It is a 50 degree day so the girls came out to play. Um.... no, not really. I forgot what they do when they first come out after being stuck inside for a long time so I did a very dumb thing........ I stood under a cloud of bees to take pictures and for a moment I thought it was sprinkling but oh no, those weren't sprinkles, I was actually being pooped on. I was being bombed left and right. Once the reality set in I made a mad dash for the house. Anyone ever try running in water logged clay soil??? Yeah, you know how that turned out. Good thing I had boots, sweatshirt and jeans on. Too bad I had my sleeves pulled up :( but... I am happy the bees made it through winter without any mite treatment last fall.

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MN RALLY DAY: LABEL GMO!

We had a good turn out at the rally for the right to know. Lot of great speakers and creative signs. I was surprised at how many people are TRULY dedicated to this cause especially on Saturday when it was only in the 20's, we were all freezing our butts off, but... we were all happy to be there fighting for what we believe in.

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IS MY HIVE GOING TO MEET DISASTER?

My one and only hive, slowly making it through winter, is about to face more complications.

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BUCKET LIST: WINTERGREEN DOGSLEDDING

When you make travel a family event you need to find the perfect place. One that not only provides entertainment but SAFETY. I've always been amused by dogsledding, just didn't have the nerve to try it. All I could think about is how cold those mushers must be. I like winter, but not to the point that I want to sacrifice warmth for entertainment. Plus, my only reference for dogsledding are the movies I've seen and

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THE BEES ARE OUT AND ABOUT

I took a peek outside this afternoon to see how much snow melted in the backyard and to my surprise, my bees were out and about. It didn't last too long. Most of them went back inside after about 20 minutes but a few are coming and going now. I'm so happy.

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SUCH A BAD BAD BEEKEEPER

It was suppose to be pollen patty to the rescue but it turned into Michelle being too wimpy to do what was needed. It was about 40 or so degrees today, somewhat of a heat wave for a MN winter, so I decided to open the hive. The U of M course said not to open til the first week of March but I couldn't stand not knowing exactly how many bees had survived so far. So, I put on my boots and headed out with hive tool and pollen patty in hand. 

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ORGANIC SOAPNUTS

I have decided to give organic soapnuts a try. If they are as great as the literature says, I may have to order in bulk next time. I am curious if others have tried these as a counter cleaner or for their dirty laundry and what you thought of the results.

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KNOW YOUR HONEY

I was reading on a website where someone stated that "most honey is not raw that in fact honey is heated and refined". Of course, he was implying that honey isn't a natural healthy product once it is heated and refined and so that statement lead to this blog post.

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